After a few words were exchanged on an American Airline flight between Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and passenger Dan Black, Clarke was displeased. So he sent texts to his officers to harass Black when he got off the plane.
According to The Hill:
After Black and Clarke’s exchange, Clarke sent a text message to Captain Mark Witek telling Witek what to do with Black.
“Just a field interview, no arrest unless he becomes an asshole with your guys,” Clarke wrote. “Follow him to baggage and out the door.”
“Question for him is, why he said anything to me,” Clarke continued. “Why didn’t he just keep his mouth shut?”
So what was it that he said?
When Black, 24, boarded the plane going from Dallas to Milwaukee, he thought he recognized Clarke, a Democrat who aligns himself with conservatives and is an outspoken supporter of Trump. But Black wasn’t sure if it was Clarke, since the Sheriff, who usually wears a Stetson hat, was dressed in Dallas Cowboy attire.
Although the two men have different stories, they do agree that Black asked Clarke if he were the Sheriff. When the Sheriff replied that he was, Black silently shook his head, to which the Sheriff asked if Black had a problem with it. Black says he replied that he did not have a problem, while Clarke says that Black stood over him in a threatening manner.
When Black got off the airport, he was harassed by deputies, and then by Clarke via Facebook.
Black says he was detained, interviewed and escorted out of the Milwaukee airport by six deputies after the incident, according to the report.
After Black filed a harassment complaint against Clarke, Clarke taunted Black on his Facebook page.
“Cheer up, Snowflake,” the post read, which included a photo of Black. “If Sheriff Clarke were to really harass you, you wouldn’t be around to whine about it.”
Black has filed a lawsuit against Clarke and his deputies. For more details go to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Image: Gage Skidmore